Apparatus for clarifying brewer&#39;s wort



INVENITOR SC H MA TZ ATTORNEYS F. scHMATZ APPARATUS FOR CLARI'FYINGBREWER-'5 WORT Filed Jan. 6. 1953 5 v. 1 I 1 4 z 8 1 u m w A a w I E\ l6 M Fl m F B Sept. 10, 1957 [liq 5.

FRIEDRCH' BY M,

APPARATUS FOR CLARIFYING BREWERS WORT Friedrich Schmatz, Stuttgart,Germany Application January 6, 1953, Serial No. 329,774 Claims priority,application Germany January 9, 1952 2 Claims. Cl. 210-254 This inventionrelates to an apparatus for clarifying brewers wort.

Especially this invention refers to a process for claritying the wortdischarged from a straining 1vat by means of drain pipes communicatingwith a standpipe, drain taps being provided in the drain pipessubstantially under the straining vat.

The clarifying of the wort was hitherto effected so that the wort in thestraining vat above the draff was drained initially into a clarifyingtrough and thereafter into the drain pipes by changing the taps. In thiscase, however, the wort after changing the straining taps from theclarifying trough to the corresponding drain pipes leading to thestandpipe and the wort kettle, will run turbid for some time, becausethe clear water initially existing in the drain pipes and the standpipewill first rise from the drain pipes into the straining vat on accountof the different specific gravities of the wort, on the one hand, andthe clear water, on the other hand, which stirs up the drafi on enteringthe straining vat. In this way the clarifying is impeded which is verydisadvantageous as seen from the technical art of brewing.

It is an object of the invention to eliminate this disadvantage so thatthe wort will remain substantially clear after changing the taps fromthe clarifying trough to the drain pipes.

According to the invention the above is brought about in such a way thatat the beginning of the draining of clear wort first a communicationwith a small clear opening is established between the clarifying vat atthe communicating system until clear water runs in the drain pipes andthe standpipe is displaced by the wort, and only then the clear openingis enlarged to the full clear opening of the drain pipes.

This process may be carried out in such a way that the clarifying tap isnot completely adjusted to the drain pipe when adjusting its passagefrom the clarifying trough to the drain pipe, so that the clear openingof the passage is reduced in this way. In this operation, however, it isdiflicult to reduce the clear opening to the necessary de gree, that is,the opening will be adjusted too small or too wide. If the clear openingis adjusted too wide, the purpose of the process according to theinvention will not be attained, and the Wort will become turbid. If theclear opening is adjusted too small, the clear water will be displacedtoo slowly. Several drain pipes each provided with a tap being usuallyprovided, the clear opening of the passage cannot uniformly be adjustedat will even with the greatest care. If some taps are opened too muchand others too little, an undesired turbidness of the wort will occur.

Therefore, in the process according to the invention, a special tap isused. This tap comprises as known per se a tap body having a conicalbore and two lateral discharging sockets arranged rectangularly relativeto each other, one of the sockets being connected to a drain pipe, theother being connected to a clarifying trough as an outlet with the borebeing adapted to communicate nited States Patent OfiFice 2,806,217Patented Sept. 10, 1957 2 with the straining vat. A tap plug isrotatably arranged in said conical bore and has an axial passagecommunieating at its one end with the bore of the tap body, and a radialpassage communicating with said axial passage and being adapted to beconnected alternatively with said two lateral discharging sockets of thetap body when the tap plug is rotated, means being provided for rotatingthe tap plug within the bore.

According to the invention means are provided for permitting the tapplug to be accurately adjusted to two distinct positions, of which theavailable cross section of the passage communicating with the axialpassage of the tap plug with the lateral discharging socket, being incommunication with the drain pipe. The clear opening of the tap is onlya minor part of the total cross section of the passage available for theother position.

In one embodiment of the invention the tap is provided with a secondradial passage, the cross section of which is substantially smaller thanthat of the other radial passage, the second radial passage beingarranged vertically relative to the other radial passage and displacedin the longitudinal direction.

In a second embodiment of the invention the tap is provided withindicating means on the tap body and on the tap plug or on its rotatingmeans. The indicating means are positioned in such a relation that theyare in alignment when only a minor part of the cross section of theradial passage of the plug coincides with a part of the cross section ofthe lateral discharge socket to communicate with said drain pipe,

The accompanying drawing illustrates the invention by way of example.

Fig. l is a diagrammatic view illustrating the clarifying vat with thecommunicating system,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through a tap body, the tap plug beingshown partly in section,

Figs. 3, 4 and 6 are cross sections of the tap shown in Fig. 2 and takenon line 33 of Fig. 2 in the direction of the arrows and showing the tapin three different positions,

Fig. 5 is a cross section of the tap taken on 5-5 of Fig. 2 in thedirection of the arrows and showing the tap in a fourth position,

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a second embodiment of a tap, and

Fig. 8 is a cross section of the tap shown in Fig. 7.

In Fig. 1 illustrating the complete system, 1 is the clarifying vat, 2the deposited draff layer, 3 the wort layer, 4 the broaching pipes, 5the drain taps, 6 the drain pipes connected to lateral sockets 13 of thedrain taps 5 respectively, 7 the collecting pipe, 8 a regulating tap, 9the standpipe leading to the wort pan 17, and 12 other lateral socketsof the drain taps 5 leading to the clarifying trough 10.

At the beginning of the clarifying process the system consisting of thedrain pipes 6, the collecting pipe 7, and the standpipe 9 is filled withclear water to keep the system clean and free from air. As soon as thedralf is sufliciently deposited in the clarifying vat, the drain taps 5are opened to release the passage to the clarifying trough 10. Owing tothe suction action the draft layer 2 in the clarifying vat 1 will bemore compactly deposited and the outflowing wort filtered. As soon asthe wort runs clear, the drain taps 5 are shifted to the drain pipes 6,and at the same time the regulating tap 8 in the system is adjusted sothat the desired amount of suction action is obtained during theclarifying process.

In this shifting of the drain taps 5 to the discharge pipes 6 heretoforethe outflowing wort became temporarily turbid due to the clear waterexisting in the system being forced by the heavier wort upward into theclarifying vat on account of its lower specific gravity, and looseningagain the dralf already collected.

According to the invention this inconvenience is now remedied by theclear opening of the discharge pipes 6 and the passages of the tapsbeing first kept small, as

ing trough 10, and a drain socket 13 leading to the corre sponding drainpipe 6.

The tap plug 11 is provided with the usual axial passage 14communicating with the broaching pipe 4 and the clarifying vat 1, and aradial passage 15 for the outflowing and draining of the wort.Therefore, the radial passage 15 may communicate either with thedischarging socket 112 leading to the clarifying trough or with thedrain socket 13 leading to the drain pipe 6.

According to the invention the tap plug 11 is provided with a secondradial passage 16 having a substantially smaller cross section than theradial passage 15, and which is arranged at right angles to the radialpassage 15. Moreover, the smaller radial passage 16 is shifted in axialrelation to the radial passage so that the smaller radial passage 16cannot coincide with the discharge socket 12 leading to the clarifyingtrough 10. In this way the larger radial passage 15 is adapted tocommunicate both with the discharge socket 12 and with the drain socket13, but the smaller radial passage 16 can only communicate with thedrain socket 13 as shown in Figs. 2 and 5.

Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 show several positions of the tap plug of Fig. 2,Fig. 3 showing the tap entirely shut off. In the position of the tapplug according to Fig. 4 there is a communication established betweenthe clarifying vat 1 and the clarifying trough 10, in the positionaccording to Fig. 5 a communication between the clarifying vat 1 and thesystem by Way of the smaller radial passage 16, and in the positionaccording to Fig. 6 the same communication by way of the larger radialpassage 15.

The clarifying tap 5 is applied in such a way that, after draining theturbid substance in the tap position according to Fig. 4, the tap plug11 is shifted to the position according to Fig. 5 by way of the positionaccording to Fig. 3. In the position of Fig. 5, the radial passage 16 ofthe tap plug 11 is in communication with the drain socket 13 leading tothe corresponding drain pipe 6, The clear water existing in the pipesystem cannot now escape upward into the clarifying vat 1 through theproportionately sized radial passage 16 owing to its contractingresistance, but it is drained by way of the communicating system onaccount of the major specific gravity of the wort. After the clear waterhas beendisplaced from the system, the tap plug 11 is shifted to theposition according to Fig. 6, so that the larger radial passage 15communicates with the drain socket 13, and the entire clear opening ofthe drain socket 13 is released for the draining of the wort.

It is possible to apply a tap designed differently for the same purpose.It is only essential that this tap permits an adjusting to two differentdraining amounts.

The process according to the invention can be realized in existingclarifying devices by using another embodiment of a tap. In this casethe tap is provided as shown in Fig. 7 with indicating means in such away that the tap plug 11' or"tl1e adjusting member 22 provided for itsoperation has a marking 20 indicating, when in alignment with a marking21 on the tap body, a position of the tap plug, in which its drain hole15' only partially coincides with the drain hole 13 of the tap body 19'.In such cases the provision of the tap plug 11 with a second radialpassage may be dispensed with. The other parts of this tap are the sameas the parts of the tap according to Figs. 2 to 6, the reference numbersof the embodiment of the tap according to Figs. 7 and 8 being providedwith an index such as the lateral socket 12', the drain 13', the drain15' and the tap body 19.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for clarifying wort comprising a vat having a bottom onwhich'a wort layer is provided, at least one broaching pipe connected atone end to the bottom of the vat, a drain tap comprising a tap bodyconnected to the other end of the broaching pipe and having two lateralsockets and. a conical bore communicating with the broaching pipe andthe two lateral sockets, a tap plug rotatably arranged in said conicalbore and having means whereby it may be rotated within the bore and alsohaving an axial passage communicating at its one end with the bore, ofthe tap body, said tap plug having two radial passages communicatingwith said axial passage and being adapted to be communicated alternatelywith said two lateral sockets of the tap body when the tap plug isrotated, a clarifying trough provided adjacent and under one of saidlateral sockets, a drain pipe of which 'one end is connected to theother socket, a collecting pipe into which the other end of the drainpipe terminates, and a standpipe connected to the collecting pipe, oneof the radial passages in the tap plug being larger than the otherradial passage.

2. Apparatus for clarifying wort comprising a vat having a bottom onwhich a wort layer is provided, at least one broaching pipe connected atone end to the bottom of the vat, a drain tap comprising a tap bodyconnected to the other end of the broaching pipe and having two lateralsockets and a conical bore communicating with the broaching pipe and thetwo lateral sockets, a tap plug rotatably arranged in said conical boreand having means whereby it may be rotated within the bore and alsohaving an axial passage communicating at its one end with the bore ofthe tap body, said tap plug having two radial passages communicatingwith said axial passage and being adapted to be communicated alternatelywith said two lateral sockets of the tap body when the tap plug isrotated, a clarifying trough provided adjacent and under one of saidlateral sockets, a drain pipe of which one end is connected to the othersocket, a collecting pipe into which the other end of the drain pipeterminates, and a standpipe connected to the collecting pipe.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS315,876 Zimmer Apr. 14, 1885 400,691 Kimball Apr. 2, 1889 414,673 BerghNov. 12, 1889 629,857 Hoerr Aug. 1, 1899 978,952 Stanley Dec. 20, 19101,127,822 Sturtevant Feb. 9, 1915 1,226,106 Miller May 15, 19171,388,523 Noakes Aug. 23, 1921 1,487,842 Dolenz Mar. 25, 1924 2,082,222Siebel June 1, 1937 2,101,356 Zak Dec. 7, 1937 2,196,219 Madden Apr. 9,1940

